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A.Cisco Configuration Assistant is a PC-based intuitive GUI configuration tool designed for small and medium-sized business networks. With a focus on ease of use, this application dynamically configures all products that are part of the Cisco Smart Business Communications System (SBCS), including routers, switches, and wireless access points, allowing quick deployment and central management of an entire office network.

Q.What are the system requirements for Cisco Configuration Assistant?

A.Cisco Configuration Assistant has the following minimum requirements:

Q.What is the difference between Cisco Configuration Assistant and Cisco Network Assistant?

A.Cisco Configuration Assistant supports Cisco SBCS devices and has a device limit of 30. Cisco Network Assistant supports a broader range of devices (see the data sheet for a complete list) and has a limit of 40 devices (not including access points and IP phones).

Q.How secure is Cisco Configuration Assistant?

A.Cisco Configuration Assistant does not retain the credentials of any of the devices that it is managing. It supports secure protocols such as Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol and HTTPS to communicate with the devices.

Q.Do I need networking experience to use Cisco Configuration Assistant?

A.Although Cisco Configuration Assistant is a simple, intuitive, GUI-based application, relevant knowledge of networking principles will help you get the most out of the application.

Cisco Configuration Assistant supports both Guided mode and Expert mode. Users can attain the same results using either mode. Guided mode offers configuration wizards for setting up advanced features. Expert mode allows advanced users to set up the device configuration with similar ease of use.

Q.Are there any device limits in Cisco Configuration Assistant?

A.Yes, Cisco Configuration Assistant supports up to 30 managed devices in a small business network deployment, including:

●Up to five Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series for Small Business

●Combination of up to five Cisco SR500 Series Secure Routers and Cisco Small Business SA500 Series Security Appliances

●Up to 10 Cisco Small Business 200 Series Smart Switches, 300 Series Managed Switches, or ESW 500 Series Switches

●Up to 10 Cisco Small Business AP500 Series Wireless Access Points

There is no restriction on the number of supported endpoints (IP phones, video surveillance cameras, printers, and so on).

Q.How do I upgrade the Cisco IOS
® Software image of the Cisco devices in the customer network using Cisco Configuration Assistant?

A.Cisco Configuration Assistant allows administrators to drag the Cisco IOS Software image stored on the local PC and drop the image onto the Cisco device icon in the topology map.

Q.How do I back up or restore the configuration of the devices in my network using Cisco Configuration Assistant?

A.Cisco SBCS is an affordable, complete system that extends voice, data, video, and wireless networking to small and medium-sized offices. It makes anytime, anywhere, highly secure access to information possible, facilitating more effective, efficient ways of communicating with customers and employees. This network solution, purpose-built for small and medium-sized businesses, is easy to deploy and use while allowing for business growth. For more information on SBCS, visit
www.cisco.com/go/sbcs.

Q.What products are included in Cisco SBCS and supported by Cisco Configuration Assistant?

Q.If the IP addresses of my Cisco SBCS devices change, will Cisco Configuration Assistant be able to discover them again?

A.Cisco Configuration Assistant uses Cisco Discovery Protocol to discover all the devices in the network, starting from a seed device. If the IP address of the seed device changes, you will have to edit the community and correct the IP address. If the IP address of one of the other devices that is not in the community is changed, no action is required.

Q.Does Cisco Configuration Assistant support all of the features available in the products and platforms?

A.Cisco Configuration Assistant typically supports the most commonly used features on the products and platforms.

Q.After Cisco SBCS products have been configured with Cisco Configuration Assistant, where is the configuration stored?

A.Cisco Configuration Assistant does not retain the configuration of the devices that it manages. It uses the configuration of the device as the master.

IP Telephony Configuration

Q.How do I enable Cisco Unified Video Advantage for end users using Cisco Configuration Assistant?

Q.How do I set up a multisite voice over IP (VoIP) deployment using Cisco Configuration Assistant?

A.Cisco Configuration Assistant Multisite Manager allows configuration of up to five sites, with a combination of Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series, Cisco SR500 Series Secure Routers, and Cisco SA500 Series Security Appliances at each site.

Q.Can partners configure the Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series to fail over to analog (for example, fax ports [FXO]) if they lose their SIP trunk connection to their service provider?

A.Cisco Configuration Assistant automatically sets up a SIP trunk with failover to any analog trunks present (analog trunks are configured with a lower preference than SIP trunks).

Q.Can the automatic call distribution (ACD) feature in the Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series be configured using Cisco Configuration Assistant?

A.Yes, Cisco Configuration Assistant can configure devices across a WLAN. For devices across a WAN link, the partner has to establish a VPN to the customer site to enable Cisco Configuration Assistant to communicate with the customer’s network.

Q.Can I use Cisco Configuration Assistant to support some other Cisco wireless devices, for example, the Cisco Aironet
® 1131, 1242, or 350 Series Access Points?

A.The wireless network is extremely secure and is comparable to the security found in enterprise-class networks. Wireless networks support Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), WPA2 with Pre-Shared Key (PSK), Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption, and most of theExtensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) and 802.1X authentication protocols, as well as MAC and webauthentication.